Caster



GQ 1..KALBERER AND J. A. WEIGEL.

CASTER.

APPLICATION FILED IULYZ, I920.

1,385,947. Patented July 26, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE J. KALBERER AND JOHN A. WEIGEL, OF HAMILTON, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE HAMILTON CASTER &; MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HAMILTON, OHIO, A

CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

CASTER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2e, 1921.

Application filed .Tuly 27, 1920. Serial No. 399,252.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE J. KALBERER and JOHN A. WEIGEL, citizens of the United States, and residing at Hamilton, in theV county of Butler and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Casters, of which the following specication is a full disclosure.

This invention relates to double-wheeled casters and provides a combination of parts which can be easily and quickly assembled to form a caster of great strength and compactness. Y

An object of the invention is to eliminate the use of ball-bearings and yet to retain all of the advantages of that class of casters, in regard to swiveling and general ease of operation.

Other objects are to reduce the number of parts to a minimum, and to provide a simple assembly arrangement of the same, in which only three riveting operations are necessary, one such operation only being needed to secure the swiveling means in operative position.

An additional object is to design the parts of the caster in such a manner that two of same can be cast, and that the third may be automatically machined, thus reducing the cost of production.

Additional objects and certain advantages will be set forth in the description, and special reference is made to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of our improved caster.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same viewed at a right angle to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation.

F Fig. 4 is a plan section taken on line 4, 4,

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail `perspective views of respectively the base-casting, the swivel-shank and the swivel-post.

1n carrying out our invention, we provide a base-casting l, designed to support and to position the movable parts of the caster, and the said base is composed of a body portion 2, vertical projections 3, spaced apart, and having their inner faces inclined with re spect to each other as at 4, to form a substantially V-shaped cavity 5, open at its top and of greatest width at that portion.

Traversing the projections 3 at right angles to the side faces of the same are horizontal bearing openings 6 for the reception of a wheel shaft 7, the said shaft passing through the cavity 5 and beyond the side faces of the body portion 2, to formv pintles about which the said wheels 8 are mounted for rotation.

Within the cavity 5 is placed a swivelshank generally designated 10, having a tapered attachment portion 11, the said portion being of less width than that of the space between the projections 3, in order to provide for lateral motion therebetween, and the side configuration of the said attachment portion 11 conforms to that ofthe side configuration of cavity 5, but is of smaller dimensions. An opening 12 of larger diameter than the shaft 7, traverses the portion 11, and the shaft passes therethrough, (see Fig. 1).. A horizontal head 13 integral with the portion 11 is provided with a cylindrical opening `14 for the reception of the section 24 of the swivelpost 20. Viewed in plan, the configuration of the swivel shank 10 is substantially T-shaped, (see Figs. 4 and 6), and portions 13a of the headv 13, yieldingly abut the faces 3a of the projections 3. The swivel post A20 is composed of a bulb-shaped head 21, designed to be seated within a bowl-shaped cavity 15 formed in the upper .face of the body por.

tion 2, the said bowl-shaped cavity being-of slightly larger dimensions than the` bulb-r shaped head, to allow fora rocking Vmovement oftheswivel-post.r A shank 22 projects upwardly from the bulb-shaped head 21, and above the said shank are successively reduced cylindrical portions 23, 24, 25, the top surfaces of the portions 23, 24, forming seats 26, 27, for the purposes hereinafter described.

Upon the seat 26 and surrounding the portion 24 is a. washer 30, upon which rests the head 13, and above the portion 24, rotatively surrounding the portion 25 and resting upon the seat 27, is an attachment plate 32 provided with openings 33 for the reception of fastening means to be used for securing tbhrl said plate and its connected parts to a In assembling the caster, the lower end of the swivel post is set within the cavity 15 of the body 2, the opening 14 in the head 13 is placed about the portion 24 and the shank inserted into the cavity 5, with its opening inV alinement with thefdpenings 6;

Vthe wheel-shaft 7 is then inserted through the alined openings 6y and 12and` the wheels.

rivetedy as at- 40, the plate 32, is 'then placed in position resting upon the shoulder Y or seat 27 and riveted as at 4l. The shaft 7 is`- generally riveted at one end and one of the Wheels is placed upon the shaft and against.

in said carriage member traversed by saidV shaft, a shank projecting into4 said cavity and traversed by said shaft, a head attached to said shank and vertically traversed by a swivel-post, a second cavity in the said carriageloosely receiving theV lower end of said swivel-post, andmeans for attaching said postf to a body; 2,` YIn a device ofi the Aclass described, a pair i of rollers mounted upon a shaft, a carriage V mounted upon'said shaft' and between said rollers, a V-shapedcavity within said carriage, @traversed by, said shaft, a YV-shaped shank within saidcavity, of less width than the same, andjcapable of lateral movement within said cavity .and about said shaft, a swivel-post mounted' for rocking movement within a second cavity in saidcarriage, and

traversingY 'aj head of the `said V-shaped fshank, andfmeans for connecting the. vsaid swivel-post tor a body;

j 3. In aV device o'f` the class described, *da Y carriage member providing a V-shaped socket and a bowl-shaped pocket, a V-shaped shank member within said V -shaped socket of less width than the same and' having a .head portion, aLshafttraversing saidsocket and said Vsshaped shank, a swivel-post stepped in said bowl-shaped pocket and traversing said head portion of`the said V- shaped 'shank member, and'means for attach# ing vsaid swivel-post to a body.

't'.ln 'aA device of the class described, a

swivel-supporting member, provided with a' pair of spaced extensions, a bowl-shaped socket-adjacent said extensions, a shank freely engaged between Vsaid extensions, a head formed uponsaid shankand abutting saidnextensions, a verticalopening through said head, a swivel-post loosely stepped within saidbowl-shaped socket and travers,- ing said head, a-shoulder' upon said swivelpost abutting said head, and al wheel shaft supported in lsaid swivel'supporting mem* ber and loosely traversing said shank.

Y' 5. In a swivel-caster, a carriage member, having space extensions and a bowlfshaped socket, a swivel-shankbetweensaid eXtension of lesswidth Vthan theextension spacing, and provided with a head portion transversely abutting said `eXtension,=a roller shaft supported in said member 4and loosely i traversing said swivel-shanln a Vswivel-post stepped in said bowl-shaped socket and traversing the said head portion, a shoulder upon the said swivel-.post abutting said head portion, and means above'said head'portion for rotatively attaching the saidV swivel-post to a body.,

In vlfitness whereof, Ywe hereunto subscribe onrnames, as attested Vby the two subserib- 

